Katikati hosts first wrestling championships since Covid-19 lockdown

The Katikati Action Centre offers a colourful sight just before the start of the wrestling competition.

The Katikati Wrestling Club hosted the North Island Championships on August 2, which was the first tournament since lockdown.

The event proved extremely successful, with over 100 athletes entered.

According to the official World Wrestling website, it was also the only championship competition held anywhere in the world over the last five months.

The competition, held in Katikati at the Action Centre attracted 14 clubs from as far afield as Wellington and the South Island.

One hundred and thirty-five matches were contested on the day, which kept official's extremely busy.

National President, Marlene Pouri-Lane spoke highly of the Katikati club's ability once again to run a successful tournament.

"We always have a smoothly run tournament here in Katikati," she said. "It's one of the reasons we like to have these championships here".

Pouri-Lane also mentioned that this was the first wrestling competition in New Zealand since the Beach wrestling at the Katikati A&P Show in February.

Katikati wrestlers performed particularly well at the champs, although several admitted to being "a bit rusty after such a long break".

Despite this, good performances came from Miles Johnson in the 10-13 age group and Ben Tanner and Sean Maguire in the 14-16 age category.

Katikati wrestlers Ben Tanner versus Sean Maguire (facing) at the North Island Wrestling Championships.

In the under 10-year-old division Chance Roberts looked particularly polished, finishing second in his weight group. In the senior ranks, Suraj Singh won the 70kg division and placed 3rd in the 74kg class after competing in that category also. The extra weight of his opponents proved his undoing.

North Island Championship results:
Under 10 years 26kg - 1st Flynn Cathcart CLNPHYS, 2nd Chance Roberts Katikati. 10-13yrs male 44kg - 1st Miles Jonson Katikati. 10-13 year female 54kg - 1st Ruby Hawkins Tawa, 2nd Charlotte Tanner Katikati. 14-16 year male - 65kg - 1st Isaac Dobbs Mount, 2nd Blake Galey Katikati. 71kg - 1st Brandon Meyer OLVR STH, 2nd Sean Maguire Katikati, 3rd Ben Tanner Katikati, 4th Josh Main Katikati. Senior male 70kg - 1st Suraj Singh Katikati. 74kg - 1st Brahm Richards CLNPHYS, 2nd Cole Hawkins Tawa, 3rd Hunny Tehlan Tawa, 4th Suraj Singh Katikati, 5th Garth Amrein Katikati, 6th Mahdi Namdari DWRTH.